The current Tension Tour from Nine Inch Nails has marked still more changes for Trent Reznor. The evening before the group’s performance Friday night at Staples Center, NIN made its network television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! nearly 25 years after its mastermind issued the seminal industrial rock classic Pretty Hate Machine. Other interesting differences played out onstage: there were backup singers – and conversation! – where formerly there was so often only shrouding and isolation.

Particularly since the supposed send-off of his main moniker four years ago, Reznor has evolved from nihilistic futurism and volatile angst into a full embrace of the eerie, almost cinematic soundscapes that have always been at the foundation of his catalog – and which blossomed two years ago into the icily effective, Oscar-winning score for The Social Network.

Yet, for as much as fans have actively followed his artistic journey, past instrumental opuses (chiefly 2008’s Ghosts I-IV) and atmospheric side projects (see new outfit How to Destroy Angels), any big-scale return of Nine Inch Nails brings certain expectations – a need to feed raw communal fury, for starters, regardless what other moods are applied. NIN’s Staples set, however, routinely reminded that Reznor long ago said goodbye to the days of flinging himself into drum sets two songs in. There would be no real semblance of the untamed power once so synonymous with this entity live.

With “Copy of A” from September’s Hesitation Marks as the opening track, hints of Kraftwerkian minimalism became apparent, accented with Reznor’s penchant for the ominous. While setting the tone for the show, that selection also played out much like the remainder: a fantastic swell of anticipation with no payoff. Following up with “1,000,000,” from The Slip, only further staved off any indication of a hardcore NIN performance – until “Terrible Lie” ignited waning fans with its massive guitar haymakers.

“March of the Pigs” and “Piggy,” oft-played staples from 1994’s harrowing cornerstone The Downward Spiral, then briefly summoned all the latex and loathing of the old Nails. The sensation of hearing this capacity crowd loudly join the snide punch line “doesn’t it make you feel better” restored some promise of leaving people with goose bumps.

But what unfolded next was a consecutive five-song clobbering of new material: “All Time Low,” “Disappointed,” the throwback single “Came Back Haunted,” “Find My Way” and “Various Methods of Escape.” In the spirit of adhering to unwritten laws of artistic integrity, that move was nothing if not confident, yet if the aim was to engage captive acolytes, the result was akin to striking out with bases loaded. Much as Reznor did at the turn of the millennium with his fascinating but cumbersome shows behind 1999’s The Fragile, for some 30-plus minutes here the concert took a tangent, one that unraveled into a musical manifestation of a David Fincher production.

With each passing selection, though, yawns seemed to become contagious. By the time “Sanctified” broke the monotony new tunes, restoring any sense of excitement proved an arduous task.

After sandwiching yet another new song (“In Two”) between anthems like “The Wretched” and “The Big Come Down” an hour into the set, the experience began to feel like a force feeding. Understandably passionate about his new music, Reznor unfortunately exhibited a visible sense of obligation when it came to getting through earlier pieces.

Yet the irony is that those go-to songs were the only ones that generated something more than mildly supportive applause. Things began to perk up when he delved into later radio successes like “Survivalism” and “The Hand That Feeds,” and a late-night rally was in full swing once Reznor further ratcheted up the energy with a floor-shaking rendition of “Wish,” though that also sparked a sense of frustration: where had this been all night?

By the time “Head Like a Hole” began, a tidal wave of pent-up exuberance finally flooded out. Indeed, the final 20 minutes of the main set was so good, it nearly made the previous hour and a half of head-scratching worth it. Walking off with the band’s iconic logo digitally emblazoned across the stage, all was right in NIN’s world. Goose bumps were raised.

But a moody encore heavy on Hesitation Marks officially sunk the ship. Slotted among another slice from The Fragile (the lesser-heard “Even Deeper”), the glitchy gem “In This Twilight” (fittingly dedicated to ailing concert photographer Andrew Youssef, aka Amateur Chemist) and Reznor’s signature closing howl, “Hurt,” were three more new songs that obliterated any enthusiasm momentarily enveloping the room.

It left the crowd motionless, all eyes fixed on the stage – though perhaps less out of awe than idle boredom.

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